Bed bugs are small, nocturnal parasitic insects that feed exclusively on the blood of humans and other warm-blooded animals. These pests, scientifically known as Cimex lectularius, are reddish-brown, wingless, and flattened, typically measuring 1 to 7 millimeters long. Their flat shape allows them to hide easily in tiny crevices. Bed bugs are highly transferable due to their high reproductive rate and ability to survive months without feeding, making them a significant concern worldwide.
How Bed Bugs Hitchhike
Bed bugs cannot fly or jump, so they rely almost entirely on people and their belongings to travel long distances, a behavior known as “hitchhiking.” Their flat body shape allows them to squeeze into the seams, folds, and crevices of various items. This passive transport mechanism is the primary way infestations spread from one location to another, even across international borders.
The vectors they use are typically items that remain stationary near a host, such as luggage, backpacks, and clothing. They also readily infest used furniture, particularly mattresses and couches. While bed bugs feed on people and pets, they do not live on them like lice or fleas, instead using belongings as temporary transport. A single pregnant female successfully hitchhiking to a new place can lay several eggs daily, leading to an infestation that grows exponentially within months.
Places Where Transfer Most Often Occurs
The highest-risk locations for encountering and transferring bed bugs are places with high guest turnover and shared sleeping spaces. Hotels and motels are a primary source of transfer, as luggage is frequently placed near beds, allowing insects to crawl into seams and pockets. Transfer often happens quickly in these environments, with bugs moving from the bed to personal items left on the floor or furniture.
Public transportation, including buses, trains, and planes, also serves as a common transfer point, as seats and luggage storage areas provide dark hiding spots. Other public venues, such as movie theaters, schools, and libraries, increase the chance of a bug crawling onto clothing or a bag when people sit stationary for extended periods. Multi-unit housing, like apartments and condominiums, presents a unique risk because bed bugs can actively crawl between units through shared walls, utility lines, and small cracks.
Essential Steps for Preventing Bed Bug Transfer
Effective prevention involves careful inspection and immediate treatment of potentially exposed items. When traveling, never place luggage directly on the bed or floor of a hotel room; instead, store it on a metal rack or in the bathroom. A quick inspection of mattresses, paying attention to seams and tufts, can reveal signs like reddish-brown fecal spots or shed exoskeletons.
Upon returning home from travel or a high-risk environment, all clothing should be immediately placed into a clothes dryer on the highest heat setting the fabric can tolerate for at least 30 minutes. This high heat kills all life stages of the bed bug, including the eggs. Items that cannot be dried, such as luggage or shoes, should be thoroughly inspected and isolated in sealed plastic bags. If an active infestation is suspected, sealing small cracks and crevices in walls and baseboards helps prevent spread within a home or between apartment units.